Clip

ABSTRACT

A clip includes a clip portion, a neck, and a hook portion. In some embodiments, the clip portion includes a base arranged at the bottom side and having at least one tooth projecting from it, at least one clip arm connected to the base at a proximal end and having an opposite distal end spaced from the base and extending toward the rear end. A neck is connected to the clip portion and extends toward the front end. A hook portion is connected to the neck opposite the clip portion.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to a clip.

SUMMARY

In general terms, this disclosure is directed to a clip. In one possibleconfiguration and by non-limiting example, the clip includes a clipportion, a neck, and a hook portion. Various aspects are described inthis disclosure, which include, but are not limited to, the followingaspects.

One aspect is a clip including a front end positioned opposite from arear end and a top side positioned opposite from a bottom side, the clipcomprising: a clip portion comprising: a base arranged at the bottomside and having at least one tooth projecting therefrom; and at leastone clip arm connected to the base at a proximal end, and having anopposite distal end spaced from the base and extending toward the rearend; a neck connected to the clip portion that extends toward the frontend; and a hook portion connected to the neck opposite the clip portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is perspective view of an example clip.

FIG. 2 is a right side view of another example of the clip.

FIG. 3 is a right side view of an example clip portion of the exampleclip shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another example of the clip portion.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the example clip shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a top view of the example clip shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an example of the hook portion of theclip shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a right side view of another example of the hook portion ofthe clip of shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 9 is a rear view of the example clip shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to thedrawings, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts andassemblies throughout the several views. Reference to variousembodiments does not limit the scope of the claims attached hereto.Additionally, any examples set forth in this specification are notintended to be limiting and merely set forth some of the many possibleembodiments for the appended claims.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example clip 100. In this example,the clip 100 includes a clip portion 102, a neck 104, and a hook portion106.

In this example, the clip portion is arranged at the rear end of theclip 100. The hook portion is arranged at the front end of the clip 100.The neck 104 connects to and extends between the clip portion 102 andthe hook portion 106 of the clip 100.

FIG. 2 is a right side view of another example clip 100. In thisexample, the clip 100 includes a clip portion 102 at its rear end, aneck 104, and a hook portion 106 at its front end. The neck 104 connectsto and extends between the clip portion 102 and the hook portion 106 ofthe clip 100.

FIG. 3 is a right side view of an example of the clip portion 102 of theexample clip 100 shown FIG. 2. The example clip portion 102 includes abase 130, a clip arm 134, and at least one tooth 132 (including, forexample, teeth 130 a, 130 b, 130 c, and 130 d, but only teeth 130 c and130 d are visible in FIG. 3). In some embodiments the base 130 has agenerally rectangular shape (shown more clearly in FIG. 5) and has a topand a bottom surface. The at least one tooth 132 protrudes from the base130 and extends out from the top surface of the base 130 so that thepointed end terminates above the top surface of the base 130. In someembodiments the at least one tooth 132 is oriented so that the pointedend points in a topwardly and frontwardly direction.

FIGS. 4-5 illustrate additional views of the example clip 100 shown inFIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the clip portion 102. FIG. 5 isa bottom view of the example clip 100. Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5,in some embodiments, the teeth 132 are located at the far left and rightsides of the base 130. In this embodiment, a tooth 132 a, 132 b, 132 c,132 d may be formed out of an angled cut into the left or right side ofthe base 130 in the rearwardly direction. The tooth 132 a, 132 b, 132 c,132 d is bent to protrude out from the base 130 forming a crease runningalong a line from the furthest point of the angled cut into the base130, out to the closest point on the left or right side of the base 130.Thus, in some embodiments, the crease between the tooth 132 a, 132 b,132 c, 132 d and the base 130 is parallel with the back edge of the base130. In this example, the tooth 132 a, 132 b, 132 c, 132 d is orientedso that the one edge of the tooth 132 a, 132 b, 132 c, 132 d is formedfrom the side of the base 130 and the other edge of the tooth 132 a, 132b, 132 c, 132 d is formed from the cut in the base 130.

In some embodiments multiple teeth 132 may be located along the side ofthe base 130 so that one tooth 132 c is located at a distance rearwardof another tooth 132 d. Additionally, teeth 132 may be located on boththe left and right sides of the base 130 so that, for example, one tooth132 c is located to the right of another tooth 132 a, and vice versa. Insome embodiments, multiple teeth 132 may be located on both the left andthe right sides of the base 130, so that one set of teeth 132 b, 132 dis located at a distance forward of another set of teeth 132 a, 132 c,Likewise, one set of teeth 132 c, 132 d, is located at a distance to theright of another set of teeth 132 a, 132 b. In this way, four teeth 132(for example) may be located on the base 130 so that two teeth 132 a,132 b are located on the left side of the base 130 and another two teeth132 c, 132 d are located on the right side of the base 130.

Referring back to the example clip portion 102 shown in FIG. 3, thefront end of the base 130 connects to an upwardly extending portion 140of the clip arm 134. The clip arm 134 includes the upwardly extendingportion 140 and a rearwardly extending portion 136. The upwardlyextending portion 140 contains a front and back side and in someembodiments has a generally rectangular shape. The upwardly extendingportion 140 extends in an upward and slightly frontward direction insome embodiments. At its uppermost point, the upwardly extending portion140 connects to a downwardly extending component 138 of the rearwardlyextending portion 136. In some embodiments the rearwardly extendingportion includes the downward extending component 138 and an upwardlyextending component 142. The downwardly extending component 138 may havea generally rectangular shape and extend in a rearward and downwarddirection. At its lowest point, the downwardly extending component 138connects to the upwardly extending component 142. The upwardly extendingcomponent 142 can also have a generally rectangular shape and extends ina rearward and upward direction.

In some embodiments, the downwardly extending component 138 has a lengththat is substantially greater than that of the upwardly extendingcomponent 142. Thus, the upwardly extending component 142 and downwardlyextending component 138 of the rearwardly extending portion 136 areconfigured so that the uppermost point of the downwardly extendingcomponent 138, located at the connection point to the upwardly extendingportion 140, is above the uppermost point of the upwardly extendingcomponent 142. Likewise, the lowest point of the rearwardly extendingportion 136 is located at the connection point of the downwardlyextending component 138 and the upwardly extending component 142.

The clip arm 134 may also be configured so that the rearwardly extendingportion 136 of the clip arm 134 does not extend past the rear end of thebase 130. In some embodiments, the rearwardly extending portion 136terminates at a position frontwardly from the rear end of the base 130.The clip arm 134 is further configured so that space is defined betweenthe rearwardly extending portion 136 of the clip arm 134 and the base130 of the clip. In one embodiment, the teeth 132 are positioned belowthe rearwardly extending portion 136 of the clip arm 134 so that theteeth 132 extend into the space between the clip arm 134 and the base130.

Referring now to FIG. 4, in some embodiments the clip portion 102includes two clip arms 134. The clip arms 134 a, 134 b are positioned atthe left and right sides of the base 130 and spaced apart from eachother in the left/right direction. In this embodiment, another space isdefined between the upwardly extending portions 140 a, 140 b andrearwardly extending portions 136 a, 136 b of the two clip arms 134 a,134 b. The left side of the left clip arm 134 a and the right side ofthe right clip arm 134 b are positioned so that they are congruent withthe respective left and right sides of the base 130 of the clip portion102.

FIG. 6 is a top view of the example clip 100 shown in FIG. 1. Referringnow to FIGS. 4 and 6, in this example, the two clip arms 134 a, 134 bhave an equal width in the left/right directions. The neck 104 connectsto the front end of the base 130 and has a top and bottom surface. Insome embodiments, the neck is coplanar with the base 130. In someembodiments the neck 104 connects to the front end of the base 130 atthe space between the two upwardly extending portions 140 a, 140 b ofthe clip arms 134 a, 134 b. In some embodiments the width of the neck104 is equal to the width of the space between the two upwardlyextending portions 140 a, 140 b of the clip arms 134 a, 134 b. The neck104 extends frontwardly in a horizontal direction between the clipportion 102 and the hook portion 106. In some embodiments the neck 104is coplanar with the base 130. Typically the frontwardly extendinglength of the neck 104 is substantially longer than the width of theneck 104 in the left/right direction.

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate examples of the hook portion 106 of the exampleclip shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the hook portion106, and FIG. 8 is a right side view. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, theneck 104 connects at its other end (opposite the clip portion 102discussed above) to the lower rearwardly extending arm 160 of the hookportion 106. In this example, the hook portion 106 includes the lowerarm 160, a lower corner 166, an upwardly extending arm 162, an uppercorner 168, an upper rearwardly extending arm 164, a first curved wingset 170, and a second curved wing set 172.

In some embodiments, the neck 104 and the lower arm 160 are coplanar andhave an equal width in the left/right direction. The lower arm 160extends rearwardly toward the neck 104 in a horizontal direction and hasan upper and lower surface. In some embodiments the neck 104 and thelower arm 160 are the same component.

At its frontmost end, the lower arm 160 connects to a horizontal end ofthe lower corner 166. In some embodiments, the lower corner 166 and thelower arm 160 have an equal width in the left/right direction. The lowercorner 166 has a curved shape so that its upper end is orientedvertically and connects to a lower end of the upwardly extending arm162.

The upwardly extending arm 162 extends along its length upwardly in thevertical direction and includes a front and back surface. In oneembodiment, the upwardly extending arm 162 has the same width as thelower corner 166 in the left/right direction. In this embodiment, theupwardly extending arm 162 has a rectangular shape.

In one example, the first curved wing set 170 is positioned on the leftand right sides of the upwardly extending arm 162. The first curved wingset 170 is positioned so that a first curved wing 170 a has a lengththat protrudes leftwardly from the left side of the upwardly extendingarm 162 and curves in a frontwardly direction (e.g., away from the clipportion 102). The second curved wing 170 b of the first curved wing set170 is positioned so that the second curved wing 170 b has a length thatprotrudes rightwardly from the right side of the upwardly extending arm162 and also curves in the frontwardly direction. In some embodimentsthe width of the wings 170 a, 170 b in the vertical direction is lessthan the length of the upwardly extending arm 162. The first curved wingset 170 may be further positioned so that it is centered along thelength of the upwardly extending arm 162.

In some embodiments, at its highest portion, the upwardly extending arm162 connects to a vertical end of the upper corner 168. In someembodiments, the upper corner 168 and the upwardly extending arm 162have an equal width in the left/right direction. The upper corner 168 iscurved so that its other end is oriented horizontally and connects to ahorizontal end of the upper arm 164.

The upper arm 164 extends rearwardly in a horizontal direction and hasan upper and lower surface. In one embodiment, the upper corner 168 andthe upper arm 164 have an equal width in the left/right direction. Inthis embodiment, the upper arm 164 terminates at a horizontal positionabove the neck 104 and lower arm 160.

In some embodiments a second curved wing set 172 is positioned on theleft and right sides of the upper arm 164. The second curved wing set172 is positioned so that a first curved wing 172 a has a length thatprotrudes leftwardly from the left side of the upper arm 164 and curvesin an upwardly direction. The second curved wing 172 b of the secondcurved wing set 172 is positioned so that the second curved wing 172 bhas a length that protrudes rightwardly from the right side of the upperarm 164 and curves in a upwardly direction. The width of the wings 172a, 172 b in the horizontal direction is less than the length of theupper arm 164 in some embodiments. In this example, the second curvedwing set 172 may be positioned so that it is coincident with the rearedge of the upper arm 164.

FIG. 9 is a rear view of the example clip 100 shown in FIG.1. In thisexample, the wings 172 a, 172 b of the second curved wing set 172terminate at a position where the wings 172 a, 172 b are extending in avertical direction. Likewise, turning back to FIG. 6 the wings 170 a,170 b of the first curved wing set 170 terminate at a position where thewings 170 a, 170 b are extending in a frontwardly direction.

In some embodiments the left side view of the clip 100 is a mirror imageof the right side views shown herein.

The various embodiments described above are provided by way ofillustration only and should not be construed to limit the claimsattached hereto. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize variousmodifications and changes that may be made without following the exampleembodiments and applications illustrated and described herein, andwithout departing from the full scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A clip including a front end positioned oppositefrom a rear end and a top side positioned opposite from a bottom side,the clip comprising: a clip portion comprising: a base arranged at thebottom side and having at least one tooth projecting therefrom; and atleast one clip arm connected to the base at a proximal end, and havingan opposite distal end spaced from the base and extending toward therear end; a neck connected to the clip portion that extends toward thefront end; and a hook portion connected to the neck opposite the clipportion.
 2. The clip of claim 1, wherein the at least one tooth projectsinto a space between the at least one clip arm and the base.
 3. The clipof claim 2, wherein the at least one tooth projects in a direction bothtopwardly and frontwardly.
 4. The clip of claim 1, wherein the base andthe neck are coplanar.
 5. The clip of claim 1, wherein the base has arectangular shape.
 6. The clip of claim 1, wherein the clip portionincludes two clip arms.
 7. The clip of claim 6, wherein a left clip armis positioned on a left side of the clip portion and a right clip arm ispositioned on a right side of the clip portion.
 8. The clip of claim 7,wherein the left clip arm is spaced from the right clip arm.
 9. The clipof claim 8, wherein the clip portion includes four teeth projecting fromthe base, wherein two of the said four teeth are positioned beneath theleft clip arm, and the other two of the said four teeth are positionedbelow the right clip arm.
 10. The clip of claim 1, wherein the clip armis bent at an angle in a direction extending towards the rear end of theclip portion.
 11. The clip of claim 10, wherein the portion of the cliparm between the base and the bend defines a proximal portion, andwherein the portion of the clip arm between the distal end and the benddefines a distal portion, wherein said distal portion is oriented suchthat the distal portion is located closer to the base than the bend. 12.The clip of claim 1, wherein the hook portion includes an upwardlyextending arm.
 13. The clip of claim 12, wherein the hook portionincludes an upper rearwardly extending arm connected to the upwardlyextending arm at a corner.
 14. The clip of claim 13, wherein the hookportion includes at least one wing set.
 15. The clip of claim 14,wherein the at least one wing set is connected to the upwardly extendingarm and curved in a direction away from the clip portion.
 16. The clipof claim 15, wherein further comprising a second wing set connected tothe rearwardly extending arm and curved in an upward direction away fromthe neck portion.